Driving Lessons

I think I'm finally beginning to wind down from school/spring shows/lambing-kidding.  I think taking the day off from the market helped down- shift me into summer.  Luke and I walked the hillside a couple of times then came back inside to relax.  For me that means sewing....but when I'm not sewing I'm spinning.  When I'm not spinning I'm cutting out more totes.  When I'm not cutting out totes I'm wrapping soap.  When I'm not doing that I'm playing with wool or mohair.  There will be a lot more of that when I find a new wool washing machine.  When I'm not doing the above I'm tending to critters - the biggest job there is around here.  When I'm not doing that I'm dealing with human food procurement and preparation.   Luke is great company.  He's not pushy or demanding.  He loves to read and relax with his little machines.  He makes pleasant conversation and asks probing questions that lead to long discussions.  Tonight it was What are Mormons?  He lets me know when he wants something.  He rubs the bumps and knots on my back.   Best of all - he always has a smile on his face.  We drove to New Berlin to pick up the NY Times and food for dinner.  Luke told me he wanted hamburgers and I asked if he would like to cook them.  He said yes!  That was a lot of fun.  He mashed the chopped meat in a bowl with salt, pepper and All Purpose Seasoning then fried them in a pan with a lid on to make them well done.  We ate the burgers with a pile of lettuce on top.  On the way home from New Berlin - don't know how they are surviving without me pumping around $50 a day into their local economy - we stopped to visit Shepherd Mary.  She invited us to come and pick up greens from her fabulous exploding garden.  Luke loves Mary and was very excited to spend some time with her.  She gave him a driving lesson in her Kubota ATV and they delivered some hay to the horses in her field.  Wish I had one but then I would never walk up the big hill.  Rain is threatened again, but then, it's been threatening all day.  Mary and I had a lovely visit sitting under one of her many shade trees with a gentle breeze.  Don't know if we'll get an evening walk to the pond tonight. Baby ducks inside are doing fine.  Have not seen Mama duck with the babies outside today.  On the advice of a friend we are dipping the duck eggs in a cup of warm water - Luke's job - to keep the shells from becoming brittle.   I have some gorgeous fabric I'm itching to cut up...but chores come first.  I love my special evening time with the critters, and with Luke to help out, everything is peachy.